PMO asks ministries for update on Google's Street View application

PM Narendra Modi’s itinerary in the US may include a stop at the Googleplex and this could be one of the queries that comes up.Aman Sharma | ET Bureau | September 16, 2015, 08:07 IST

View cars photographed neighborhoods between 2008 and 2010.The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has asked the ministries of defence and home for an update on the status of Google’s application for permission to implement its Street View programme in India.

Narendra Modi’s itinerary in the US may include a stop at the Googleplex and this could be one of the queries that comes up.

"The PM plans to visit the Google headquarters during his upcoming visit to the US," the PMO said in its September 14 letter to the ministries, seeking a report within three days. ET has reviewed a copy of the note.

Google has sought approval for the Street View project - which involves posting 3D panoramic views online - through the external affairs ministry. Security clearance from the defence and home ministries is pending.

The Indian security establishment is wary of allowing such image-capturing given that planning for the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai is said to have involved photographic reconnaissance of targets by David Coleman Headley.

Officials expect Google’s proposal will be approved but after taking into account defence ministry caveats that key locations and nuclear sites be kept out of Street View because of security considerations.

Other sensitive areas include defence headquarters and border towns, especially on the frontier with Pakistan.

Earlier this year, the Telangana government had proposed to Google that Hyderabad be the first city covered in India under Street View.

Street View enables users to "explore world landmarks, discover natural wonders, and step inside locations such as museums, arenas, restaurants and small businesses with 360-degree images on Google Maps with Street View", according to Google.

In India, Street View has mapped a few tourist locations such as the Gateway of India, the Sun Temple, Red Fort, Ajanta Caves, Sanchi Stupa, Varanasi’s Man Mahal and the Taj Mahal. Most of Europe, the US, Canada and Australia are covered by Street View.

The prime minister confirmed on Monday that he will visit the Facebook office on September 27 in Silicon Valley’s Menlo Park for a town hall. CEO Mark Zuckerberg had announced Modi’s upcoming visit through a post on Facebook. The Googleplex visit is yet to be confirmed.

Street View images are captured by cameras mounted on a car. To match each image to its geographic location on the map, Google combines signals from sensors on the car that measure GPS, speed and direction.